The USDA has announced its traceability program goals for cattle. USDA Undersecretary Greg Ibach for marketing and regulatory programs says in Fiscal Year 2019, the USDA will start building the capability for the electronic sharing of data for states. And he says the agency will change the way animals that move independently are identified.

"We're going to phase out the way we've been providing bright tags, or metal tags, and we're going to start participating in the cost of electronic I.D.." Ibach tells Brownfield Ag News they'll also work with the industry to assist the interstate movement of cattle with electronic health certificates.

Ibach emphasizes the USDA doesn't want to pick the technologies cattle producers will use because the technology is always changing. We're developing new technologies. We have blockchain being talked about now. High frequency, ultra-high frequency, low frequency,"We don't really care how the data is gathered. What we care about is being able to access the key information we need to know if we have to track or try to control and contain an animal disease outbreak."

Ibach made his comments at the National Institute for Animal Agriculture's Traceability Forum underway in Kansas City, Missouri.